Investigation of the damping properties of 3D-printed liners with controlled perforation
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.30837/2522-9818.2026.1.155Keywords:
TPU liners; 3D printing; material stiffness; prosthetics; impact testingAbstract
This study focuses on thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) liners with controlled internal perforation intended for use in the “residual limb–liner–socket” system of lower-limb prostheses. The influence of material stiffness, hole geometry, and degree of perforation on vibration damping efficiency under impact–dynamic loading is investigated. The aim of the work is the experimental determination and optimization of the damping characteristics of TPU liners by varying material stiffness, hole shape, and perforation percentage using the free-decay vibration method. Tasks: to analyze the functional role of the liner as a damping element in the prosthetic system; to fabricate a series of 3D-printed TPU specimens with different stiffness levels, hole geometries, and perforation degrees; to implement an impact-based method for measuring free damped vibrations for each specimen; to determine the damping ratio and vibration attenuation percentage; to process experimental data in order to identify optimal combinations of material and geometric parameters; and to establish the relationships between material stiffness, perforation level, hole pattern, and the damping properties of liners. Results: a method for evaluating the damping characteristics of 3D-printed TPU liners with controlled internal structures was implemented and experimentally validated. A nonlinear dependence of vibration damping efficiency on the degree of perforation was identified, along with a systematic decrease in damping as TPU stiffness increased. It was shown that hexagonal hole geometry provides a more uniform deformation distribution and slightly higher damping efficiency compared to rhombic and triangular patterns. The obtained relationships enable targeted design of damping liners with an optimal balance between stiffness and vibration attenuation capacity. These findings support the solution of the following practical challenges: reduction of impact loads by decreasing peak dynamic forces transmitted from the prosthetic socket to the soft tissues of the residual limb; pressure redistribution through the formation of more uniform contact stresses at the skin–liner interface; improved user comfort by reducing vibration, pain, and skin irritation during walking; individual optimization through personalized selection of liner geometry and material based on body parameters, activity level, and tissue condition; and engineering design of structurally optimized components for biomedical applications. Conclusions: the study experimentally confirms the feasibility of controlling the damping properties of TPU liners by adjusting material stiffness, degree of perforation, and hole geometry. An optimal perforation range was identified for each TPU stiffness level, as well as the advantages of hexagonal perforation in terms of deformation uniformity and vibration damping efficiency.
References
References
Ahn, S.J., Lee, H. and Cho, K.-J. (2024), "3D printing with a 3D printed digital material filament for programming functional gradients", Nature Communications, Vol. 15, 3605 р. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-47480-5
Wang, Y., Tan, Q., Pu, F., Boone, D.A. and Zhang, M. (2020)"A review of the application of additive manufacturing in prosthetic and orthotic clinics from a biomechanical perspective", Engineering, Vol. 6 (11), рр. 1258-1266. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eng.2020.07.019
Baldock, M., Pickard, N., Prince, M., Kirkwood, S., Chadwell, A., Howard, D., Dickinson, A., Kenney, L., Gill, N., Curtin, S. (2023), "Adjustable prosthetic sockets: A systematic review of industrial and research design characteristics and their justifications", Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation, Vol. 20, 147 р. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12984-023-01270-0
Nevliudov, I., Yevsieiev, V., Maksymova, S., Chala, O., (2023), "A Small-Sized Robot Prototype Development Using 3D Printing", CAD In Machinery Design Implementation and Educational Issues (CADMD'2023): proceedings of the XXXI International Conference. (Conference in memory of Professor Jerry Wrobel), Suprasl, 26-28 October, 2023. Suprasl, 2023. 12 р.
Xie J., Liu X., Tang J., Li X., Li W., (2021), "Study on friction behavior at the interface between prosthetic socket and liner", Acta of Bioengineering and Biomechanics, Vol. 23, No. 1. P. 83–93. DOI: https://doi.org/10.37190/ABB-01751-2020-04
Rossi, S.; Puglisi, A.; Benaglia, M., (2018) "Additive Manufacturing Technologies: 3D Printing in Organic Synthesis". ChemCatChem, Vol. 10, (7), рр. 1512– 1525. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/cctc.201701619.
Syed, K. M., Yevsieiev, V., Nevliudov, I, Lyashenko, V, Adel, R. A., Wahid, R. (2022), "HMI Development Automation with GUI Elements for Object-Oriented Programming Languages Implementation," International Journal of Engineering Trends and Technology (IJETT), Vol. 70, No. 1, pp. 139-145. DOI: https://doi.org/10.14445/22315381/IJETT-V70I1P215
Hassan Beygi, B., Wong, M.S. (2023), "Contemporary and future development of 3D printing technology in the field of assistive technology, orthotics and prosthetics", Canadian Prosthetics & Orthotics Journal, 6(2), 42225. DOI: https://doi.org/10.33137/cpoj.v6i2.42225
Devin, K.M., Tang, J., Hamilton, A.R., Moser, D. and Jiang, L. (2024), "Assessment of 3D-printed mechanical metamaterials for prosthetic liners", Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part H: Journal of Engineering in Medicine, 238(3), 348-357. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/09544119231225529
Nikitin, D. O., Nevlyudov, I. Sh., Zharikova, I. V., Bronnikov, A. I., Strilets, R. E. (2025), " Devising of a method for controlling products during photopolymer 3D printing". Eastern-European Journal of Enterprise Technologies, 4(1 (136), рр. 42–54. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15587/1729-4061.2025.335706
Sh. Nevlyudov, S.P. Novoselov, A.G. Resnichenko. (2012), "Experimental verification of theoretical foundations making the basis of the substrate roughness surface automated control technology". Telecommunications and Radio Engineering, 71(19), рр. 1791-1799. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1615/TelecomRadEng.v71.i19.80
Plesec, V., Hanželič, B. and Harih, G. (2024), "Development of a metamaterial numerical model for improving 3D-printed lower-limb prosthetic liners", Human Systems Engineering and Design (IHSED 2024): Future Trends and Applications, 158, рр. 228–238. DOI: https://doi.org/10.54941/ahfe1005546
Gritsyuk, V., Nevliudov, I., Zablodskiy, M. and Subramanian, P. (2022), "Estimation of eddy currents and power losses in the rotor of a screw electrothermomechanical converter for additive manufacturing", Machinery and Energetics, 13(2), pp. 41–49. DOI: https://doi.org/10.31548/machenergy.13(2).2022.41-49
Andriën, A.R.P., Guerreiro Tomé Antunes, D.J., van de Molengraft, M.J.G. and Heemels, W.P.M.H. (2018) "Similarity-based adaptive complementary filter for IMU fusion", 2018 European Control Conference (ECC), pp. 3044-3049. DOI: https://doi.org/10.23919/ECC.2018.8550358
Justa, J., Šmídl, V. and Hamáček, A. (2020) "Fast AHRS Filter for Accelerometer, Magnetometer, and Gyroscope Combination with Separated Sensor Corrections", Sensors, 20(14), 3824 р. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/s20143824
Osadchyi S. I., Zozulya, V. A., Kalich, V. M., Timoshenko, A. S. (2024), "The frequency method for optimal identification of close-loop system elements". Radio Electronics, Computer Science, Control, (4), 195 р. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15588/1607-3274-2023-4-18
Mamalis, A.G., Nevliudov, I., Romashov, Yu. (2021), "An approach for numerical simulating and processing of measured electrical signals from board sensors installed on wheeled electro-mechanical platforms", Journal of Instrumentation, 16(10), 10006 р. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-0221/16/10/P10006
Rudenko, O., Bezsonov, O., Ilyunin, O., Demirskiy, O., Serdiuk, N., Arsenyeva, O., Semenenko, O. (2023), "Using a Neural Network Approach to Predict Deposits on the Surfaces of Heat Exchange Equipment", Chemical Engineering Transactions, 103, рр. 697-702. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3303/CET23103117
Brian, H., Daniel, T. (2017), Essential MATLAB for Engineers and Scientists, Academic Press, 411 р. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/C2015-0-02182-7
Han, S., Bhattacharyya, S. P. (2018), "PID controller synthesis using a v-Hurwitz stability criterion", IEEE Control Syst. Lett., Vol. 2, No. 3, pp. 525-530. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/LCSYS.2018.2842784
Statistical Methods in Psychiatry Research and SPSS. 2nd Edition, ByM. Venkataswamy Reddy. Apple Academic Press. 2019. 442 р. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1201/9780429023309
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Our journal abides by the Creative Commons copyright rights and permissions for open access journals.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
Authors hold the copyright without restrictions and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-commercial and non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their published work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.
